Process for the separation of asphaltic compounds from gangue.



c. L. COOK 1111. R. PRICE. v PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF A$PHALTIC COMPOUNDS FROM GANGUE. v I

-APPLIC ATION FILED FEB. 11. 1914.

L1 QQWS, Patented July 11,1916.

I INVENTOR 7 6/1/11, L. 600/1 CARI] L. COOK, OF SAN FRANCISCO, AND JOHN B]. PRICE, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF ASPHALTIC COMPOUNDS FROM GANGUE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11,1916.

Application filed February 17, 1914. Serial No. 819,212.

spectively, in the counties of San Francisco and Alameda, State of California, have invented a new and useful Process for the Separation of Asphaltic Compounds from Gangue, of which the following is a specification in such full and clear terms as will enable those skilled in the art to construct and use the same' This invention relates to a process for the separation of asphaltic compounds from sand rock or the gangue in which such compounds are found.

It will. be understood by those skilled in the art that large quantities of bitumen bearing rock or sand stone are found in nature in which the asphaltic product is too low in percentage to make the material of great value. This asphaltic compound has been heretofore extracted by various methods such as heating, boiling, or dissolving with, however, a very low percentage of extraction, and since the natural rock fre quently runs as low as 14% of the asphaltic compound an extractionof only six or seven per cent. means that such an enormous quantity of the raw material must be handled .as to make such a process for the recovery of the compound commercially impossible.-

' With this invention it is possible to obtain a high percentage extraction even when treating asphaltic rocks or sand stones containing as low as 10% asphaltum.

In the drawing in which the same numeral of referenceis applied to the same portion throughout, there is illustrated a diagrammatic view partly in section of an apparatus for carrying out the process.

The numeral 1 represents the base of a boiler which has a suitable fire box fed through the door 2. The boiler is provided with a sloping bottom 3 and with the cylindrical boiler 4 around which is a heating jacket 5, the flame from the fire box impinging upon the sloping bottom 3 and passing through holes 6 and 7 At the top of the heating jacket 5 and on the opposite side thereof from the hole 7 there is a smoke stack 8. At the lower portion of the sloping bottom 3 there is a dischar e pipe 9 controlled by means of a quick acting valve 10, with which is connected the pipe 11.

The valve stem 12 and valve connected.

therewith are operated means of the handle 13 pivoted to the arm 14. In the upper portion of the boiler there is a discharge pipe 15 controlled by means of the valve 16 similar to the valve 10, this valve being operated by means of the handle 17 pivoted on the arm 18. The boiler is provided with a steam gage 19 connected there with by means of the pipe 20. The top of the boileris flanged outwardly as indicated at 21 and carries a plurality of bolts 22, on which bolts are the nuts 23, said bolts being hmgedly connected to the flange 21 so that it is easy to disconnect them from the cover 24.

The cover 24 is hinged to the top of the boiler at 25 and when raised off the top of the boiler leans against the rest 26. When it is desired to charge the boiler the cover 24 is raised and material placed upon the platform 27 is charged into the boiler until W'ithin the boiler there is a flangedring 32' upon which is placed a heavy wire screen 33 to prevent the materials thrown into the boiler from packing on the bottom 3 and being burned in the process of heating.

The operation of the process is as follows: The material which consists of lumps of the asphalt bearing gangue is charged into the boiler, which'is partially filled with water, preferably previously raised to the boiling point. The specific gravity gangue is greater than that of the hot water and the gangue sinks through the water to the screen 33. 'After the charge has been introduced, the cover is secured in place, sealing the boiler, and the continued application of heat produces a temperature with in the closed vessel which is in excess of 212 Fahrenheit and the temperature is increased until a pressure of from 40 to 75 pounds per square inch is produced, that is a temperature of from approximately 268 Fahrenheit to 308 Fahrenheit. As the asphalt becomes heated to 212 Fahrenheit or thereabout, its specific gravity becomes less than that of the Water and it rises to the surface of the water and due to the increase in temperature it becomes somewhat plastic. This asphalt rafts to the surface with it a large amount of sand which is held by the asphalt. When it reaches the surface the asphalt is in the of the cold form of afoamyT mass, carrying in suspension alarge amount ofsand which is not liberated. Theieontinued application of heat thereto however, causes the asphalt to coalesce, forming substantially a perfectliq uid at the temperatures which obtain and in this condition, the asphalt no longer forms.

have been blown ofl the valve 10 maybe v opened and the residues which are sandy m nature may be washed out by opening the valve 31 and running a suitable supply of water into;the boiler. that while heretofore it has been common to separate this material by boiling that any process of boiling involves the loss of a great amount of latent heat in the loss of the steam in the boiling process, but with the present process very little heat is lost because the only steam lost is that which is lost from the mass of material after it has been discharged from the boiler, with no accompanylng ebullition taking place at any time. It is also to be noted. that with this process the asphaltic'compounds come off comparas tively pure for the reason that no ebullition takes place. It will be noted that with the higher percentages of asphaltic compound present a lower pressure may be used to effect the separation than with low percentage asphaltic gangues.

Where heavy asphaltic compounds are sought to be separated from the material bearing them it is necessary to add a quantity of salt (sodium chlorid) to the solution to increase its specific gravity, thereby causing the asphaltic compounds to rise to the surface thereof more easily than they would in. pure water.

V Experiments made on asphaltic gangues show that by the process herein disclosed asphaltic compounds will sink when cold and will expand sufficiently when heated to float, such action having been observed in separators used, such as are described in the diagrammatic drawing above referred 'to,

It will be observed but it has been ascertained that to cause the material to become sufiiciently light to separate properly that a pressure offrom 40 to 80 pounds per square inch is requisite.

Havingthus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters'Patent of the United States, is as follows, modifications within the scope of the claims being expressly reserved:

1. The process of separating asphaltic compounds from gangue carrying the same, which consists in heating the gangue in water to a sufficient temperature to cause the compounds to partially free themselves from the gangue and to rise through the water and continuing the heating of the floating compounds to a temperature above 212 Fahrenheit whereby they compounds will coalesce and release gangue carried thereby and then separating the asphaltic compounds from the water.

2. The process of separating asphaltic compounds from gangue carrying the same, which consists in heating the gangue in water to a temperature above 250 Fahrenheit whereby the asphaltic compounds are first caused to partially separate from the gangue and float to the surface of the wate and there to liquefy and release carried gangue which precipitates through the water and then removing the liquefied compounds from the surface of the water.

3. The process of separating asphaltic compounds from gangue carrying the same which consists in heating the gangue in water to a temperature sufficiently high to cause the compounds to partially separate from the gangue and float to the surface of the water and then heating the separated compounds in water to a higher temperature whereby the compounds will coalesce and release the gangue carried thereby which precipitates through the water.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 11th day of February presence of the two sub- A. D. 191 1, in the scribed witnesses.

CARL L. COOK. JOHN R. PRICE. 

